ICTU Executive pledges unanimous support to Bombardier workers in Belfast

21 Sep 2017

At the meeting of the ICTU Executive Council yesterday (20th September 2017), the leaders of the 44 trade unions on the island of Ireland received a detailed report concerning the very real fears for 4,500 manufacturing jobs in Bombardier Belfast. Executive Council, which is the elected body representing 44 affiliate unions who organise nearly 600,000 workers in the Republic of Ireland and 200,000 workers in Northern Ireland, pledged its unanimous support for its affiliate unions Unite and GMB who represent the 4,500 workers.

“The dispute between Boeing and Bombardier has the potential to have a devastating impact on the workers and the wider Northern Ireland economy. These are highly skilled decent jobs that must be protected. It is incumbent on the two largest parties in Northern Ireland to continue to work together on this issue and use whatever leverage they have to support the workers.

“There is also a particular responsibility and onus on the UK government to support the interests of these workers at this time to ensure they do not become the victims of a battle between two large multinational corporations. There are countless supply chain companies and workers both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland that will also be impacted should a negative decision be made against Bombardier at the International Trade Commission in the US.

“The Irish Congress of Trade Unions will be doing what it can with the Irish government, our colleagues in the TUC and the international trade union movement to seek to ensure that all of these jobs which are a critical part of the Northern Ireland economy are protected.”